Search This Blog

Saturday, August 13, 2011

As he looked out the window, he spied Callie sitting alone on a bench in the quad. She looked beautiful with her shoulder length chestnut hair blowing in the breeze and her blue sundress revealing a slim figure. Mac got closer to the window. He couldn't see her perfectly, but enough to know she wasn't familiar. The other students rushing around were in groups, or at least pairs but this young woman was alone. He watched her as she walked toward the
administration building, his gaze drawn to the graceful motion of her body, the gentle sway of her hips.

Callie Richards was no stranger to heartache. Her parents were killed when she was sixteen. Left with her older sister, she fell into a romance with good-looking, Kyle Maine. They became engaged and Callie’s future was set until he was killed in Iraq. Two years later, she pulls herself together to get her Master’s degree and restart her life on her own.

Working and studying at Kensington State University, Callie meets Mac Caldwell, the handsome dean. Together they fight a deadly campus drug ring with heart-breaking results. This is an emotional story, not a cookie-cutter romance, that will make you laugh and cry as Callie struggles to make a new life, find love and her happy ending.

“Tell me where you are. I won’t divulge it to anyone, but I
have to know. I need to send you papers to sign. As soon as I file
papers you will be legally separated. Still, I must warn you, no
hanky panky.”
“What do you mean?”
“If White finds you with another man, he can sue him for
alienation of affections.”
“But that isn’t true. I haven’t left him for anyone else. He’s
the cheater, not me.”
“That doesn’t matter. He can sue anyway and even if he loses,
you and any boyfriend will be dragged through the mud…expensive mud, requiring plenty of money for a legal defense. It will not be pretty. Remember, Brad has the bucks to bring any kind of lawsuit he wants to.”
“Even if he can’t win?”
“Yes. Frivolous lawsuit doesn’t mean anything to a man with
pockets as deep as his. So be careful, Sunny.”
“Thanks, Hank. How much should I send you?”
“Don’t send me anything. I’m happy to see you dump that
guy. When I have a settlement with his lawyer, I’ll tack on a few
bucks for myself. Do you have any money?”
“I’ve been saving a little from the household money and
the sale of my paintings and putting it in a bank account up here.”
“Good. How much do you have?
“I’ve saved $20,000. That should last a few months.”
“I would think so; it depends on where you’re spending those
months. Where are you, Sunny?”
“I’m near Willow Falls in a little cabin I inherited from my
mother. I’ll send you the exact address.”
“Can I reach you at this number?”
“Just until I get a landline. I’ll call you then. Thank you,
Hank. You are a true friend.”
“Good luck, Sunny. Remember to keep your nose, and
everything else, clean.”
****
As soon as she hung up, the phone rang again. It was Harry.
She picked it up.
“Hello, Miss, how are you?”
“I’m okay, Harry. What’s up?”
“Mr. White is hopping mad you’re gone. He’s called his
lawyer.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ve already talked to my lawyer.”
“Are you coming back?” Harry asked her.
“No.”
“Never?”
“No, Harry, never. He’ll have to handcuff me and take me
back by force,” she said with heat in her voice, color heating her
cheeks, her free hand tightening into a fist.
“Oh, Miss. He isn’t going to like that at all!”
“He’ll learn to live with it,” she said, dismissing Harry’s
concern.
“I wanted to warn you, Miss.”
“Thanks, Harry. I appreciate it. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t.”
“Take care,” Sunny said, hanging up the phone.
****
As soon as he hung up the phone, Harry pulled a slip of
paper out of his pocket and dialed the number on the paper.
“Yes, is this American News tip line? Yes? Good. Yes, I do.
How much do you pay for tips? Oh, well it’s about the impending
divorce of two rich people…one a famous artist…yes. I see. Of
course. You can make a check out to me, Harry…”

A little bit about the book:
Caroline “Sunny” Davis has it all, a rich husband, career as a well-known artist and a big, beautiful house, she has everything except happiness. Fleeing from a philandering husband, she returns to her family’s cabin in the woods. Looking to reconnect with happier times while she sorts out her life, Sunny is surprised to meet up with someone she hasn’t seen in twenty years.

Mike Foster, her friend, her protector from childhood is more handsome and devastating than ever. Tempted almost beyond endurance, can she resist him…if it’s for his own good? This story about rekindled friendship will warm your heart.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Here is more of "The List" a work-in-progress I shared with you all last Friday:

Carrie was wearing a light green silk dress, cut low and fitted at the waist that brought out the green of her eyes. The skirt was full but soft and clung to her hips and thighs. The air was cool so she had a lightweight white wool coat thrown over her shoulders. When she hit the street, Grey stepped out of a tan car and held the door for her. He looked her over appreciatively, his gaze stopping at her cleavage.

“You look beautiful,” he said, holding the door.

She smiled at him, watching his eyes, pleased to see the small light of desire spark there when he looked at her body. He was wearing a charcoal Grey business suit with a blue shirt and a black knit tie. The shirt picked up the blue of his eyes which glittered when they looked at her. He took her hand, sending shivers up her arm, and helped her in the car then eased his six foot frame in next to her. Their shoulders and thighs touched, making Carrie tingle. Grey gave instructions to the driver then took her hand.

The car stopped at a little French restaurant on Second Avenue called Sans Souci. The tiny place was charming, intimate and romantic inside with dark turquoise walls and red tablecloths. There was a table in the corner set for two with candles and a bottle of wine waiting. Grey held out her chair then sat down next to her, instead of across from her.

The Maitre d’ came by and placed napkins in their laps and asked for drink orders.

Carrie shook her head.

“Just water, please.”

“Are you sure?”

“I have to work after the ballet, so I need to be awake.”

“Wine with dinner?” He asked.

She nodded.

“Tell me what is keeping you so busy,” Grey asked, pouring out the wine.

Carrie spent the next ten minutes regaling him about the stress of trying to save the Country Lane Cosmetics account and her worries about her bosses. He quietly took her hand and listened attentively.

“What about you? What exactly do you do and how did you get there?”

“Big questions here, can’t be answered in a few simple sentences. Let’s order first.”

“I worked like a dog for ten years to amass as much money as I could. I was lucky with investments, very lucky. Now I’m an investor, a partner in an investment banking company looking to back green companies.”

“That’s admirable. Do you work…like a regular job?”

“Sort of. When we have a company we’re looking at, work can get intense with longer hours and many meetings. I find it exciting helping new companies. We have slow time, too. Sometimes I spend days and days doing nothing but research…”

“Can’t imagine you stuck with a computer or a stack of papers and not out talking to people.”

“I am a people guy but every business has its downside. Tell me more about you.”

“For instance?” She asked.

“Do you cook?”

“For one? Rarely.”

“If you were…uh…more than one, would you cook?”

“Depends. Maybe.”

“What kind of home life did you have as a kid?”

“For a family with money, we were about average...parents always busy, fending for ourselves…”

“Siblings?”

“A brother. You?”

“A brother and two sisters.”
“Oldest?”

“No, second. Have an older sister.”

“Close to your family?” She asked.

“Very. You?”

“Not so much. My parents live in Arizona, my brother in Chicago.”

“Did you celebrate holidays, have family traditions?”

“Why all the questions? This feels like a job interview…”

He looked down at the tablecloth and blushed at his own transparency.

“Sounds like an interview for a wife,” she said, her keen eyes searching his face.

“How do you feel about family? Want one? Want kids?” He continued.

“Kids? Absolutely. Home life? Have always wanted to create the one I never had. Hoping to have a Currier & Ives Christmas someday…”she said, rather wistfully.

He grinned.

“And you?” She asked, turning her gaze on him.

“I want it all,” he said simply.

“The whole thing?”

“Kids, Christmas, house…everything…with the right woman,” he admitted.

Grey watched Carrie dig into her food enthusiastically and felt happy he invited her. Obviously she needed a good meal. He looked at her face while they ate. With her eyes on her food, he could study her without detection. Her oval face had smooth, delicate skin with a slight blush in her cheeks. Her nose was straight and grown-up looking, her chin strong but feminine. Her honey hair curled slightly around her face softening her looks. He was enchanted.

“This is delicious,” she said, her mouth half full.

He laughed.

“Take it easy, no need to rush. We have plenty of time.” “I’m starved. Do you want a taste? It’s incredible…” she offered.

He nodded. She picked up her knife to slice off a piece for him, but he put his hand down over hers, stopping her.

“Like this, from your mouth," he said, leaning over and gently placing his lips on hers. His tongue barely skimmed the surface of her lower lip, then her upper lip, tasting the sauce still lingering there. Gently his lips coaxed hers open and his tongue dipped in just far enough to share the taste of chicken on her tongue. She closed her eyes. Carrie didn’t move, her breathing becoming rapid, as his tongue took one last gentle swipe over her lips then he sat up.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Here is an excerpt from the first chapter of my children's mystery, "The Secret of the Hidden Road" an Amanda & Emily mystery, geared to kids 8 and up:

“Flood at Five Mile Creek!” hollered sixteen-year-old David Williams.

Amanda and Emily Carson jumped out of their father‟s car just as it came to a stop. They raced through their summer community, following David into the woods. The girls almost flew over the path, green tree suckers whipped at their bare legs while rain poured down their hair and into their eyes. But they didn't stop. David led the way through the soggy wood, past the trail to the creek. The creek was swollen with raging water that gushed over rocks, rising higher and loosening the soil on the creek banks.

On the other side of the stream frozen stock still stood seven-year-old Samantha and her little pug dog, Freddie. Emily leaped over a narrow part of the creek to join Samantha, wrapping a protective arm around the younger girl‟s shoulders and guiding her away from the bank of the creek.

Amanda stopped short almost tripping over Muffin, her rag-tag mixed breed dog. Muffin barked. Freddie saw Muffin and wiggled closer and closer to the edge of the creek straining against his leash and wagging his tail, trying to get Muffin's attention. His wide mouth parted in a pug-like grin as he panted. Muffin barked a caution to him, but he couldn't hear her over the roar of the stream.

As Freddie stepped on the edge of the creek bank, the ground gave way. His weight snapped the leash from Samantha's small hand and Freddie fell into the rushing water. Samantha screamed.
Amanda yelled to her sister,
“Grab Samantha.”

Emily tightened her grip on the young girl and pulled her back from the creek's edge just as more soil slid into the creek. Emily and Samantha moved quickly back to safety. Freddie bobbed up, trying to dog paddle and keep his head above the swirling water. He began to move downstream.

Amanda, an athletic sixteen-year old, picked up a long, forked stick and ran downstream, trying to catch up to Freddie. When she got closer, she leaned toward the stream and jabbed the stick at the loop in the leash, trying to pull it out of the water. But Freddie was moving too fast. The slippery leash was soon out of her reach. Amanda hoped the leash wouldn't get caught between two rocks and drag Freddie under.

The game little dog continued paddling and gulping for air whenever he bobbed above the water. Way downstream was a big, flat rock jutting out into the water. Amanda and David ran down as fast as they could to get ahead of Freddie. Amanda knelt down on the rock,
“Grab my ankles,” she yelled to David.

The Secret of the Hidden Road is available for only $.99 on Kindle and Nook:AmazonBarnes&Noble

A little bit about The Secret of the Hidden Road

When two teenage sisters move to the country for the summer, they don’t expect to be saving animals or solving mysteries. As soon as Amanda & Emily Carson arrive at The Birches, their summer community during a driving rain storm, they are pulled into a rescue for a pug swept away by a raging stream.

Sixteen-year-old Amanda reconnects with her old friends while her younger sister, Emily makes a new friend, Ashley. Their friendship heads south when Ashley accuses Amanda of theft!

Tension runs high, splitting the sisters. But when Gus, Ashley’s dog, disappears, Amanda and Emily join forces to find him, risking their own safety. A desperate escape finds the girls locked in a closet in a haunted house. A frantic search by the community turns up nothing until David, the girls’ friend, takes their alert dog, Muffin, out to find them.

All ends happily as the mysteries are solved, Gus is returned and even Ashley’s missing bracelet is recovered. Take this fun adventurous journey through friendship, mystery and sisterly devotion. Best for young readers ages seven and up.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

So you want to be a romance writer? No sweat. It’s easy. Everyone knows romance writers don’t work hard. They spend all day eating chocolates and having sex with multiple partners. Then they jot down their experiences et voilá – a new romance bestseller is born.

Since I’m a romance writer, who better to give you my secret list of 10 easy ways to write a romance bestseller.

1.You need a plot. Dig out an old Archie comic book. They are full of good plots. Two dates for the prom? Change it to two dates for the company picnic and you’re ready to roll. Or use a plot suggested by your local bus driver. I understand some exciting things happen on his route.

2.You need characters? Use your best friend. How about a neighbor? Maybe your boss or your brother-in-law is dying to be immortalized in your book. We all know romance writers don’t invent original characters, they write about the people around them. They all think you’re writing about them anyway, so why not?

3.Names? You need names for your characters. Get a baby name book. Close your eyes, open the book to a page and the first place you touch, use that name. If it’s Mergatroyd, you might want to select again.

4.Dialogue? Original dialogue? Take a small recorder to Starbucks and turn it on. Looking for realistic dialogue? You’ll get it there. “I can’t believe they forgot the cinnamon, AGAIN!” Now there’s true emotion. Transcribe it and you’re set to go. After all, why should you have to think it up yourself, when realistic words are being spoken all around you every day.

5.Plot twists? Think about a natural disaster…hurricane, tornado, bad hair day? Throw a few disasters in whenever the plot cools down. That will rev it up.

6.Setting. Write about what you know/ Use your neighborhood. Don’t forget to describe in detail the crummy house your best friend lives in. Don’t leave anything out: the rusting cars in your uncle’s driveway, the number of potholes on your street, the old man spitting tobacco juice at the barbershop…describe them in detail. It’s called adding texture to your book.

7.Love scenes? Didn’t your best friend tell you all about her one-night stand with the hunk from the gym? Hell, use that. Write down all the details she told you. Why should you have to invent it when Susan lived it for you?

8.Keep your reader guessing. Throw in new characters you like from a TV show, book, play or comic book two-thirds of the way into the book. Don’t explain who they are, let the reader guess. If you really want to keep the reader on her toes, don’t resolve everything at the end. Make her want to find out what happens in a sequel. To write the sequel, go to # 1 on this list. Plagiarism you say? I say, who will know?

9.Once you have finished your book, bribe a friend to write your synopsis and blurb. Babysit her kids, walk his dog, pick up dry cleaning. Anything is easier than writing a synopsis and blurb. A few favors should earn you what you need to submit to an agent or publisher. Don’t bother editing. You knew your book was brilliant from the time you put the first word on paper.

10.Time to get published. Offer to sleep with the agent or publisher. Everyone knows us romance writers are hot to trot and would do anything to get a publishing contract. If the contact is a straight woman, bring in the hunky guy from the gym to do it for you.

Once your book has miraculously made it to the bestseller list without your wasting one single minute on promotion, remember to save me a signed copy.

Don't believe me? You're right. There are no easy steps to becoming a romance writer. You've got to write every day, read every romance book you can get your hands & books about writing, edit your heart out, work your butt off...then you've got to get lucky. That's the "magic" formula.

Monday, August 8, 2011

TUESDAY TALES are short stories written by a variety of authors around one prompt word. Today the prompt is "TRAVEL AGENT". My next installment of "Mint Chip" using the prompt is at the end.

Click on the author's name to go to the blog where the rest of the story begun here resides:

J.F. Jenkins I don't have to work Saturday or Sunday, which is a Godsend if there ever was one. I could use a little break, and a nap. Sunday though I got up earlier than I normally would on a day off so I could primp myself for church.

Kathleen Tighe BallRunning around her apartment, trying to pack at the last minute, Randi Summers mentally went over her to do list. Filling in for her coworker Tammi didn’t bother her, it was the short notice that did.

Sara YorkDeck sat in the coffee shop across from the travel agency. The girl working the phones wasn't the main travel agent, only the agent's assistant. She knew too much to be a normal assistant though.

“Wonderful, darling. Done. I’ll dinner on the fifteenth…and thank you, Norman,” Nina cooed before she hung up the phone.

When the phone hit the cradle, Clint’s face turned beet red.

“Darling? Darling?” He shouted.

“I’ve known Norman for ages, Clint.”

“So? Do you have to call him, darling?”

“You’re jealous! Calm yourself.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I’m taking your play to be read by Norman Fallon, the Broadway producer,” she said, sitting back in her armchair, a smug smile on her face.

“Norman Fallon? That was Norman Fallon?”

She nodded.

“You know him?”

“I used to be an actress, Clint. I know some people in the theater. I know Norman is going to love it. It’s a great play, sweetheart,” she said, rising from her chair and approaching him.

“How can I thank you, Nina?”

“Make sure I play the mother…and kiss me,” she said, sinking down on the loveseat next to him.

Clint pulled her to him for a passionate kiss. Nina wound her arms around his neck and moved closer to him. Clint buried his face in her neck, leaving small kisses up and down the sensitive column of her throat.

“You’re having dinner with him?”

“Um hmm,” she murmured, her eyes closed.

“You’re going to sleep with him?”

“Um hm,” she said, nodding.

Clint sat up and moved away from her.

“Are you going to sleep with him to get the play produced?

“Of course not. Not if I don’t have to.”

“What?”
“Norman and I are…uh…old friends. We’ve been

lovers on and off since Henry died.”

“Not anymore,” Clint stated.

“Of course not. I won’t have to. The play can stand on its own.”

“Damn right it can. I don’t want you sleeping with this guy, no matter who he is.”

“But just once…if…”

“You belong to me. And I don’t share,” he said, crushing her to him.

Nina sank into his embrace, reveling in his warmth the sweet scent of his skin and the clean smell of his freshly ironed shirt. She was exactly where she wanted to be. A deep contentment swept over her.

“Did I say something wrong?” He asked softly.

“Something just right,” she whispered back.

Clint closed his mouth down on hers in a possessive kiss. Nina responded fully, opening her lips to his tongue and melting against him. When they broke, she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch and another pot of coffee. Clint went to the computer and began to write, read the dialogue aloud and edit. Soon they were side by side at the long kitchen table writing, reading the lines, arguing and making changes. Time seemed to fly by as they progressed through the last scenes of Act II.

When the clock chimed ten, Nina yawned, stood up and took Clint’s hand.

“I have to work.”

“It’s our first night together in my house with you living here. Work can wait.”

He shot her a wicked grin and stood up, then followed her up the stairs. Once in the bedroom, Nina peeled off her shirt and shorts and turned on the small light on the nightstand. Clint had his shirt off when she went over to wind her arms around his waist.

“Welcome,” she said, kissing his chest.

He snapped open her bra, watched it fall to the floor and reached out with his foot to close the bedroom door.

Here's an excerpt from my latest release, "Now and Forever 1, a Love Story", which received a 4.5 star review on amazon over the weekend. Meet Mac, my hero.

From his office window, Mac Caldwell looked down on the main quad and the growing activity. He brushed his dark hair out of his blue eyes. He was tall and lean, except for the fourth
finger of his left hand, which was slightly crooked. He broke it in a high school basketball game.
Mac evaluated his life, with another school year beginning, what was he beginning? The students Mac saw from his window looked hopeful, anxious and single-minded. But what about his life? Mac made some poor choices. He married the pretty but vacant woman he accidentally impregnated and was now divorced. He fathered a beautiful toddler, Jason, he adored but only saw on weekends. Loneliness ate away at Mac. He wanted a family, not this disjointed arrangement. After his divorce, Mac buried his pain and concentrated on getting ahead. It paid off when he was made an undergraduate dean.
Two years later, success wasn‘t enough. At thirty-four years old, he wanted a woman in his life, but the right woman, someone he not only wanted to sleep with, but wanted to wake up with, too. He stayed away from co-eds, tempting as they could be, they were big trouble for an administrator. He felt frustrated, his life was stalled.
As he looked out the window, he spied Callie sitting alone on a bench in the quad. She looked beautiful with her shoulder length chestnut hair blowing in the breeze and her blue sundress revealing a slim figure. Mac got closer to the window. He couldn‘t see her perfectly, but enough to know she wasn‘t familiar. The other students rushing around were in groups, or at least pairs. This young woman was alone. He watched her as she walked toward the administration building, his gaze drawn to the graceful motion of her body, the gentle sway of her hips.

A little bit about "Now and Forever 1, a Love Story":

Callie Richards was no stranger to heartache. Her parents were killed when she was sixteen. Left with her older sister, she fell into a romance with good-looking, Kyle Maine. They became engaged and Callie’s future was set until he was killed in Iraq. Two years later, she pulls herself together to get her Master’s degree and restart her life on her own.

Working and studying at Kensington State University, Callie meets Mac Caldwell, the handsome dean. Together they fight a deadly campus drug ring with heart-breaking results. This is an emotional story, not a cookie-cutter romance, that will make you laugh and cry as Callie struggles to make a new life, find love and her happy ending.

Get a taste of “Now and Forever 2, the Book of Danny”, to be released in November, when you buy “Now and Forever 1”